THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
by LinZE
Summary: A story that begins just after the Hogwarts Express draws into Kingscross at the end of book five. The main elements include, Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape and a confined space. This leads to what can only be described as an
1. Chapter 1

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD 

**Disclaimer: **Alas fair reader, they are not mine.

**Rating: **G

**Summery: **A story that begins just after the Hogwarts Express draws into Kingscross at the end of book five. The main elements include, Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape and a confined space. This leads to what can only be described as an interesting start to the holidays.

_"Follow the black cat". _Harry repeated the last-minute instructions he had received from Hagrid just before the Hogwarts Express left the station. _"Follow the black cat.__" _He had been pondering on it quietly for almost six hours now and he had still failed to establish just what the hell it was that the half giant had meant. It was all a little reminiscent of the 'follow the spiders' incident in his second year: however this time there was no trail of little black cats leading into the Forbidden Forest, or anywhere else for that matter. Harry knew this for a fact as he had been constantly looking for this sign, messenger… whatever it was, the entire trip. When he thought about it rationally he supposed that this specific feline might not even be supposed to appear until the end of the holidays but he wasn't going to take a chance and risk missing an opportunity to escape from Privet Drive. Not for the first time in the last month though, he just wished that someone would tell just exactly what it was that was happening and what was expected of him personally.

He bid goodbye to Ron and Hermione, full of promises to keep in touch as well as he could, but after they had departed there was still no sign of anyone there looking for him. This was hardly a surprise though, so grabbing the handle of his trunk he rolled it out of the way of all the hundreds of people milling about on the platform. Setting Hedwig's empty cage down on the ground, she had been left to make her own way back, he sat himself down and got ready to wait for his Aunt and Uncle to arrive. He sat and watched as the rest of the students began to dissipate and wondered to himself how the wizarding world managed to keep itself secret considering some of the totally peculiar behaviour that some of the adults were displaying, never mind what they were wearing…

As he observed the scene before him he absently started scratching behind the ears of the cat that had started winding itself in and out of his legs. The cat! Looking down he was met by a pair of green eyes staring back at him from inside a pitch-black furry mask.

"Hello," he said quietly, continuing to pet the cat. It purred in response and nuzzled into his hand before suddenly taking off across the concourse. It stopped again maybe ten metres away and turned back as if looking for him and gave an impatient _meow!_ The message he had received from the Groundskeeper certainly seemed to make an awful lot more sense now. All the same though, if the last year had taught him anything it was that things were often not quite as they seemed, so strapping the empty cage to his trunk he thrust his spare hand into his pocket and wrapped it around his wand as he set off behind his mysterious guide. Harry was so intent on not loosing his four-pawed piper that he didn't notice as he stepped out of the train station. He followed it across the road and down the street for quite a distance before, with the swish of a tail, the cat disappeared down a ramp and into a low level car park.

Harry hung back, every instinct he possessed screaming that there was something wrong with this situation.

"Is that you Minerva?" came a familiar voice.

"Just how many cats do you think wonder the streets of central London Lupin? Especially with a limp like that," retorted Snape in his all too familiar drawl.

"I was not limping Severus and considering how long we're all going to be cooped up together, I'd be especially grateful if you'd be kind enough to say nothing if you can't think of something constructive to add." McGonagall's tone was more than familiar after five years in her classes "Mr Potter? I know you're there so, if you'd be kind enough to join us." He did as she asked but kept a hold of his wand all the same.

"Well it seems as if the boy isn't quite as stupid as I would assume," Snape said, eyeing the hand he still had in his pocket.

"Severus," McGonagall warned.

"Oh – give up woman."

"Now, now children," Remus Lupin interrupted. "No – it's good that you're on your guard but now I expect that you want to make sure that we really are who we appear to be. Maybe ask us a question only we'd know the answer to?" It seemed like a good suggestion but Harry struggled to think what he could ask them. He thought about asking about his grades or maybe the password to Dumbledore's office but then realised that it wasn't unfeasible that an impostor could know the answer to those. Whenever he'd seen this kind of scenario in a film or the like the questions always seemed to be about the subject's love-life or the like and the thought of venturing down that road just made Harry shudder – never mind that he wouldn't know the answers in any case. But then he had an idea…

"Where's HQ?" He asked quietly but firmly. He knew that you wouldn't be able to find it unless the secret keeper told you where it was but he was certain that to share the address between four people who really ought to know it already would be possible.

Lupin, who had been sitting sideways on the passenger seat near Harry, sprung up.

"Oh – I know this one!" he said with a smile, and for a moment Harry was disturbingly reminded of Lockhart. Leaning close his former Professor whispered the correct answer just loud enough for him to hear above the rumble of traffic on the road above. His Head of House quickly did the same and, somewhat more reluctantly, so did the Slytherin Head. It was hardly as if he'd never had anyone whisper in his ear before but he'd never really appreciated how different an experience it could be depending who was doing the whispering.

"Now can we please get a move on?" Snape asked from where he stood leaning on the roof, standing inside the open driver's door. It only dawned on Harry as he watched them get ready to get into the car, as Lupin helped him lift his trunk into the boot, that the three of them really did look passably muggle. The Slytherin was in dark jeans and a black roll-neck pullover with his hair apparently newly washed and pulled back tidily. McGonagall had her hair braided down her back where it lay on her green twin set. There was something more different about her though and he wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe it was the fact that underneath her voluminous velvet robes she had been hiding quite an attractive figure, which was now highlighted perfectly by the charcoal slacks she was wearing. He just wasn't certain that was it though. Lupin didn't look wholly different from how he usually did except that it seemed someone had done some impressive repairs to his rather worn wardrobe.

"I'll take the back seat," Lupin volunteered. "No need for you to get all squished yet Minerva."

"Thank you," she replied, looking a little surprised. Harry waited until they were all safely ensconced in the car and were sitting on the ramp waiting to pull out onto the road before he asked the question that had been bugging for some time now.

"What exactly is going on?"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this - please let me know either way

thanks to Rachel my beta

Linds

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

PART 2

"Ah," said Lupin with a soft smile "I was wondering how long it would take you."

"Basically Mr Potter," began McGonagall, shifting her seat to turn and face sideways so she could see where he was sitting behind Snape, "I had a discussion with the Headmaster…" The potions master snorted at this and Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of that. She scowled at him but continued on anyway. "Well – we had a discussion and it was decided that perhaps it wouldn't be best for anyone if you were to stay with your relatives again this summer."

"Not that I'm not grateful but – well where am I going instead then?"

"We're going to take you back up to the school," Lupin said. "I'm going to be staying there this summer and officially I'll be looking after you so to speak."

"Right. But why send me away on the Express if…"

"Believe it or not Mr Potter, we didn't actually want to publicise your holiday plans," Snape said, all the while manoeuvring around a teaming roundabout.

"So what's going to happen is that we're going to drive back up to the castle in the muggle fashion. No magic whatsoever," Lupin continued.

"Ok – but why is it going to take three of you? And why you three? And how come you managed to change into a black cat Professor?" he asked, finally turning to look at the Transfigurations mistress.

"Ah, well to start in reverse order, it's all down to hair dye. I haven't been this dark in two decades," she said, gesturing to her solid black hair, and suddenly Harry realised what had been different about her. "We wanted to make sure no-one knew about our plans so we gave you as little information as we could, as late in the day as we could. It would hardly take a genius to realise that my usual tabby self would be easily identified by the students and anyone else watching." He understood what she meant; when there were students returning home there were parents and not all of them were to be trusted.

"The reason we got given the job was that we're the only members of the Order who were available and have muggle driving licences."

"As for why this is going to take three of us is primarily due to the fact that we're going to be driving continually for days thanks to that bloody bam pot," Snape supplied.

"Days!" Harry couldn't help but exclaim.

"Severus would you just concentrate on the road please?" McGonagall asked tersely.

"Why – don't you trust me Minerva?"

"I would trust you with my life, just not to avoid getting arrested before we leave the Greater London area. It was deemed that we ought to take a somewhat circuitous route on the return journey," she continued.

"Thank you Alastor!" Snape added, rolling his eyes.

"Well in any case, it's about a 16 hour drive straight to the castle at the best of times but it's the start of the muggle holidays and, well, we're visiting Cornwall, Wales and Newcastle and some other places on the way," Lupin said.

"Could be worse, it could be winter and then the chances are that half the roads we need would be closed."

"The joys of rural Scotland," Snape deadpanned, before hitting his horn as someone cut him up. "Idiotic muggle!" This time it was McGonagall's turn to roll her eyes.

Harry's mind was whirling with everything he had just learned. Staring out of his window at the other vehicles surrounding them as they made their way through the city he found it hard to actually accept what was happening. For so long the muggle and magic parts of his life had been separate but it seemed that yet again the edges were blurring; seeing his professors in this tableaux was a tad disturbing. They sat in silence for a while and he was just beginning to feel distinctly intimidated at the prospect of spending an extended period of time in an enclosed space with these people when Lupin broke the silence.

"Severus, do you actually know where you're going?" The question was gentle but the response was as hard as ever.

"Of course I do – that's why I'm driving."

"It's just that you're heading towards the centre of the city…"

"Well I was going to turn right but it was a flaming one way street." It was clear that this frustrated the man greatly.

"It is a bit of a maze around here – I'd take the first left at the next round about."

"If I need your advice Lupin – I'll ask for it." The potions master took the first right.

Ten minutes later Harry recognised the same round-about and this time he took the recommended turning. Harry would almost swear that McGonagall was hiding a smile with her delicate hand. Lupin leaned across the centre seat and spoke just loud enough for Harry to hear when he leant in.

"In the cause of peace and quiet I shall refrain from commenting on that." Harry smiled and noticed that McGonagall, in order, he presumed, to distract the man who was scowling at them in the rear-view mirror, turned on the radio. He wasn't hugely surprised when she tuned into a classical station and didn't even mind an awful lot. Besides, the debate that this sparked in the front as to whether the current piece was Chopin or Shosticovitch was worth it. It was strange; if he hadn't been able to hear them he would have sworn that they were discussing quidditch or house points. He said as much to Lupin, and this in turn seemed to spark the first genuine conversation of the trip.

"Did you hear about the Magpies Harry?" Lupin asked. Harry shook his head; his interest in all things Quidditch had all but disappeared this year when he had been banned from playing himself. "It's been rumoured that some foreign fan has bought the team and is throwing gold into getting them some decent players."

"Some decent players isn't going to cover it," McGonagall pointed out somewhat sceptically.

"But it is start," he pointed out.

"True enough" she conceded. "Oh – Remus I meant to say – Rolanda turned down the English coaching spot again."

"Professor Hooch turned down a chance to work with the national team?" Harry asked, shocked that anyone would do that in favour of teaching kids with no aptitude to fly in a straight line.

"She just knows that a certain Scot would throttle her if she accepted," Lupin suggested with an impish grin.

"That is such a lie Remus Lupin – and well you know it. It's not as if I stopped talking to her when she played for them."

"No but you did sit in the opposition's half every time you went to go see her play though."

"The important part is that I went to go see her," McGonagall protested.

"It was Schuman!" There was a momentary silence at this unexpected out burst from Snape. "The concerto – it was by Schuman," he tried to explain. "Anyway," he continued obviously trying to change the subject. "I have a bone to pick with you Minerva about a certain trophy. I was under the impression that you were responsible for having it engraved with the latest date and house before you passed it on."

"That would be a valid complaint Severus were it not for the fact that you broke into my study to claim it before I returned to the school." This silenced his objections for the time being.

By the time they were out of London it was past 8 and getting dark.

"I don't know about anybody else," McGonagall began, "but I'm ready for dinner – what do you say gentlemen?"

"Yes!" And "Me too!" Rang simultaneously from the back seat.

"Anyone would think we never fed you Mr Potter." She replied, her voice softened with mirth. "What about you Severus? What do you fancy?"

"Food," he replied sarcastically. "There is however, as far as I'm aware, a plethora of eating establishments in Brighton and as we're almost there."

"You've been there before?" asked Lupin. "I wouldn't have thought it very _you_."

"I'd thank you not to make assumptions about me Lupin but as a matter of fact there's a rather good apothecary there."

"Really?" asked McGonagall. "I shall have to remember that."

"I wouldn't bother – the only thing that they stock of any great quality is Wolfsbane stalks," came the tart reply. Again they slipped into silence. It dawned on Harry that the only reason that the potions master would need those stalks was to make the wolfsbane potion for Lupin himself.

If Harry had thought that they made an odd group sitting in the car, it was nothing as to how peculiar it felt wandering along the promenade on Brighton's sea front eating fish and chips with their fingers straight from the paper. This was also a first for him – he'd never actually had a fish supper before and was enjoying it all the more for the novelty value. He had half expected Snape to storm off as soon as they had parked but instead he had seemed relatively content to eat and walk with the group.

"Mmm. That was good, but there is not a chance in the world that I'm going to finish this lot. Anybody care for more?" his Head of House conceded. Harry glanced at Remus.

"Share?" the other man asked.

"Sure. Thanks Professor," he added taking the papers from her.

"That sounds a little odd given the situation so why don't we stick with Minerva for now Mr Potter."

"Harry then," he pointed out.

"Right – Harry," she said with a smile.

After they had visited a somewhat dubious public restroom they returned to the car. McGonagall, or Minerva rather, took the driver's seat and then avoided what could have been a conflict by telling Remus to sit down in the front. Harry had no problem sitting in the back, but sitting in the back with the potions master was another matter entirely though. As they pulled out of the car park and onto the busy main road the Slytherin spoke up.

"Shouldn't you have your glasses on Minerva?" The question sounded more like an insult the way he put it.

"Actually I only need them for up close work and you seem to have forgotten the fact that my night vision is significantly better than yours." That ended that conversation, and Remus turned on the radio and retuned it to what Harry suspected was BBC Radio 4. By the time the 11 o'clock bulletin began, he was drifting into sleep, the only other sound disrupting the silence the soft sound of breathing from the man sitting in front of him.

A/N: hope this helps with some of your queries

thanks again to Rachel

keep reviewing!

Linds

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

PART 3

Authors Forewarning! – I am aware that some of these jokes will mean nothing to you if you don't have a fair idea of British culture or at least the British culture of making fun of each other depending on which part of the country we live in. As a Scot, I feel that I am perfectly within my rights to make fun of the Welsh – after all everyone else makes fun of us. Lol

In any case – if you cant read into it enough to make sense of the comments I'll be happy to explain further.

xLx

When he woke up again the sun was shinning on his face and there was a strange smell permeating the air. There was also a strange lack of movement…

Before he'd even opened his eyes Harry was fairly certain that they'd either stopped to get petrol or driven into the back of fuel tanker. He stretched as well as he could in the somewhat confined quarters and slowly peeled open his eyes.

"Morning Harry," Remus said, twisting in his seat to turn around and look at him. He mumbled something in response. Glancing around he realised that they were the only people in the car at the moment.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, looking towards the pay point.

"Just there," Remus replied pointing some distance in front of the car.

Undoing his seatbelt, he shifted into the middle seat to get a better view. Standing on the forecourt the two heads of house were, it seemed, in the process of having a rather heated discussion. It struck him rather suddenly that anyone else observing this scene would probably just assume that they were a husband and wife getting on each other's nerves after being in the car together for too long. This disturbed him somewhat, so he made the sensible decision not to think about it any more.

"He's irritated with her because she drove all through the night," the other man informed him.

"Oh," was all he could think of to say. "What time is it by the way?"

"About half six."

"Thanks"

"Oops – that's my cue," he said after a moment, as the other two started to head back towards them. The werewolf opened the door, got out and then settled himself back into the driver's seat, leaving passenger door open so they could now hear what was being said.

"Severus – I didn't set out to prove anything. I just didn't see the point in waking you all up when you were sleeping so heavily."

"Driving for eight hours straight was not a clever plan."

"Good morning!" Remus said brightly as Snape slung himself into the front seat and Minerva climbed into the back.

"Good morning Remus," she replied. "Sleep well I trust?"

"Like a log thanks."

"And you Harry?" Now that he thought about it he had slept well. He couldn't even remember having had any nightmares, and that was the first time that had been true since the affair in the ministry.

"Yeah," he replied with a smile.

"Well – I think there's a service station across the motorway what do you say to breakfast?" Remus asked.

This stop allowed them all the opportunity to freshen up and change their clothes before they grabbed croissants and fruit for breakfast as well as acquiring the basics for lunch. When they did set off again it was for Wales apparently and a few hours later they crossed the boarder. Remus and Snape had stayed fairly quiet up until this point, whether due to the fact that Minerva was fast asleep next to Harry or for another reason he wasn't sure, but he was glad of the reprieve.

"I wonder if Aberforth still has a place around here?" Remus said to no-one in particular.

"Aberforth Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Yeah – it was on a farm around here he was charged with placing inappropriate charms on a goat. Or was it goats? I forget."

"There must have been a sheep shortage that year." It was out of his mouth before he even thought about it. He could feel himself blushing as he glanced to his right and saw that his head of house was thankfully still sleeping peacefully. Remus obviously found it quite amusing though as he was still chuckling away.

"That was neither clever or amusing Mr Potter." Was the characteristic response from Snape. Harry watched as the driver glanced across to the adjacent seat and the light of revelation spread across his features.

"You're Welsh!" he said with relish.

"And you're a Werewolf – your point being?" This time it was Harry who was laughing out loud.

"Good point," Remus conceded good naturedly as he continued to follow the winding roads.

About half past ten they stopped for a bathroom break and Snape took the driver's seat again. In a whole different life, Harry had once heard someone say that the only thing _really_ wrong with Wales was that there was only one way in and out. At the time it had made no sense to him whatsoever; now though it was becoming painfully clear. They had just joined the only trunk road leading out of the country and it was at a complete standstill.

"For Merlin's sake!" Snape sighed.

"Oh well – good job we're not in a rush," Remus pointed out from the passenger seat. They got moving eventually however, and though it was slow progress they were getting somewhere. Harry ended up discussing the Weasley twins' new shop with Lupin and though Snape wasn't saying anything it was occasionally obvious that his interest was being piqued. Minerva had fallen back asleep once they had gotten going again and didn't seem in the least bit disturbed at the rather animated impressions of the firecrackers that had been debuted in the school. She didn't, however, have a chance of sleeping through what happened next. Snape was pulling out into the next lane behind the car in front of them when said car slowed without warning and they crashed into the back of it. Harry braced himself for the impact of the cars behind them colliding into their back but despite the sound of squealing brakes and angry horns, everyone else seemed to manage to avoid them and carry on.

"Is everyone ok?" Remus asked urgently turning around in his seat to face them.

"Fine," Harry replied after running a quick self-diagnostic and turned to look at Minerva. Unsurprisingly, she looked like someone who had just been woken up abruptly and rather unpleasantly.

"Wha…Yes, I'm fine – what happened?" By this point their driver was out of his seat and storming towards the car in front. "Oh no…" Minerva was up and after him in an instant.

With the two doors open it wasn't hard for them to hear what was being said only a few feet away.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Snape asked, and part of Harry already felt sorry for the other driver (the other was hoping that said driver wasn't in possession of a shotgun). He watched with interest the way that his own Head of House managed the Slytherin, placing a hand on his arm and silently urging him to back up a little.

"I think our first priority ought to be to get off the motorway – are you going to be ok to drive?" she asked the slightly shell-shocked driver who nodded in response.

"How about you follow me to the next turn off? There's a view point maybe a couple of miles down the road." The heavy Welsh accent suggested that he was a local.

"That sounds perfect," Minerva agreed, and Harry was a little surprised at how softly she was handling him. With that they returned to the car and as soon as everyone was back inside and the engine had been restarted they followed their guide back into the flowing traffic.

"How bad's the damage?" Remus asked once they were on the way.

"Minimal and largely cosmetic," Minerva replied. "Which is in no small part due to Severus' quick reactions." The man in question just 'hmph'ed.

"Idiot."

"Perhaps – but antagonising the situation isn't going to help," she said firmly

"Perhaps," he repeated a little less viciously.

When both parties had parked in the lay-by Harry decided to take advantage of the opportunity to stretch his legs.

"Never say we do things the simple way," Remus said, climbing out and, having shut the door again, leaning next to Harry. He couldn't help but smile at that – they really didn't ever seem to do anything that turned out to be straightforward. His gaze wondered over to where the two Heads of House were now talking fairly amicably with the Welsh driver and his wife.

"Harry?" Minerva called. "Do you have any regular paper in your trunk?" He had to think before he replied, mentally thinking through what he had packed. He knew he had at least a couple of rolls of parchment but….

"Yeah – I think I have a notebook," he answered, and standing upright, went to the boot to see if he could lay his hands on it. Not only did he manage to find it (underneath all of his notes from the last year) but he also managed to lay his hands on a biro as well.

"Here you go," he said as he neared the group and offered her what she'd asked for.

"Thank you," she said with a smile handing them over to Snape. He was about to leave them to exchange insurance details when, the other female said something that made him stop.

"That's a lovely well mannered boy you've got there – and he looks so like both of you," she said with a smile. He wasn't at all sure what to make of this.

"Thanks I guess," he mumbled, and was reassured slightly at the gentle hand his 'mother' placed on his shoulder. Snape on the other hand just continued to write.

"He's a good boy – we're very proud of him." The unexpected compliment left him with a warm feeling that he had never up to then thought to associate with the his professor. The next part of the conversation threw him far back into surprise though.

"I… I should apologise for the way I acted earlier," Snape began as he handed over the pad and pen. "I know it's no excuse but… it's just that I got a bit of a shock and well… if anything happened to the boy or his mother I'd well, I'd be totally devastated."

"Of course… of course," they replied, and thankfully before Harry had to pull himself together, Remus appeared to divert their attention.

"Hi – Remus Lupin."

"A pleasure to meet you," the lady replied. "And you are…" she continued.

"Oh – just a friend of the family. I'm… well not very well quite a lot of the time and Severus here is good enough to take spectacular care of me."

The conversation that followed was 'spectacularly' unusual in any case but when the couple finally drove away Harry was fairly certain that they hadn't made any dire slip-ups.

"I was playing a part Lupin," Snape said, pre-empting anyone else.

"What ever you say. Daddy." Snape looked ready to spit fire.

"I'm sorry Professor – I didn't mean for…"

"If there's anything I detest more than having to apologise Mr Potter, it's people who apologise for things that aren't their fault." Harry decided to say nothing in response to this. "And for future reference, Harry, it seems ridiculous for you to call me Professor when I'm apparently masquerading as your father."

"Well Mr 'invalided friend of the family', come and give me a hand with lunch won't you?" Minerva asked before dragging him off back to the car. Harry sat down on a rock and took the chance just to take in the view. He was most surprised when the other man sat down next to him. Obviously his surprise was plain to see on his face as the Potions Master offered an explanation un-asked.

"Believe it or not Mr Potter - Harry – all of this palaver serves one real purpose and that is to get you somewhere safe in one piece. I would hate to have to explain to the Headmaster that you had been killed in a freak accident while we were all looking the other way." He wasn't sure how to take this, but the bubbling anger that he'd managed to suppress thus far was beginning to surface again. It wasn't as if he was totally helpless and he was fed-up with people talking about him as if he were nothing more than a burden. "This way, chances are, I'd get wiped out too and then I'd avoid all the awkward questions." He couldn't help himself this time, he couldn't help but laugh. There were many things that he had expected the Slytherin to say but that certainly hadn't been one of them.

"What on earth is the matter with him?" he heard Remus ask as he watched his approach through teary eyes.

"Apparently _Harry_ finds the extent to which I would go to avoid the Headmaster's wrath to be amusing." Remus chuckled lightly as Harry himself began to sober a little.

"Wouldn't we all go to extremes?"

"Not necessarily the same extremes though – Minerva?" The name dropped on the end made all the difference, and coupled with the sly almost smile it changed the direction of the sentence entirely.

"Don't you start young man. I got enough of that from the _High Inquisitor_." Once again he was hit by quite how surreal their current situation was as he shook his head to get rid of a somewhat inappropriate mental image.

A/N: Thanks again to Rachel. Apologies to any Welsh readers. Let me know what you think.

Linds

xxx


	4. Chapter 4

PART 4

The distraction process was helped by the appearance of food and the casual conversation that sprung forth from the adults.

"I'm too old for this," Minerva commented as she settled herself on the grass.

"Ha! Tell that to Alastor!" Remus said with conviction.

"And why, pray tell, would I do that?" she asked as she began dividing up sandwiches.

"Oh – Molly and I were talking about the fact that rather than the 'older' group in the Order and the 'younger' group that we had last time round, that there was an additional 'middle' age group of people well… like us."

"OK," she said slowly, as if she were still not entirely sure what he was getting at.

"Well we were giving Alastor examples of the members who would belong where. So – the young ones were Tonks and the Weasley boys, then there was Severus and myself and of course Arthur and Molly in the non-descript. Then we suggested Alastor himself along with you and Albus for the final group." As far as Harry could see Minerva herself had no great objection to this – or at least wasn't surprised by it. "Well, Alastor objected to you being grouped with 'the old men' as he put it. I believe the phrase used was 'She's still a spring chicken!'"

"Oh – for Merlin's sake! Anyone would think I was young enough to be his daughter. I'm what? – 8 years his junior?"

"I heard Poppy come out with a classic after you were transferred to St Mungo's – 'and at her age too!' - when as far as I recall she's a good few years older than you are," Severus added.

"Indeed. However, if we've all finished discussing my age (relative or otherwise) we should probably get going." They finished up quickly and Remus and Severus took their leftovers back to the car for afternoon snacking. Harry offered Minerva a hand up, which she accepted gratefully and he noted that she almost managed to conceal her grimace as she straightened up.

Having decided to avoid returning to the main road from which they had come, a road map was produced and they set off on the B roads.

"Speaking of Alastor, Minerva," Severus began after a few minutes.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice holding a note of trepidation.

"Albus showed me a rather unlikely picture of the two of you." She looked a little shocked at this though. "The one from the 1940's – you're both in muggle uniform…"

"I haven't seen that in years," she said to no-one in particular. "Why he felt the need to show you that I have no idea."

"He was recounting some of your exploits during the war."

"Hah. _My_ exploits were fairly limited. Alastor flew with the Airforce though."

"What did you do?" Harry asked, intrigued by the idea of his teacher having participated in the muggle war.

"I worked back at the base – tracking the planes and the like mostly. It's amazing how much easier it is to do with a spot of magic. I did a stint at Bletchley Park too."

"Cool," Harry said which seemed to amuse her.

"It's not often 'cool' is used in connection with me," she pointed out.

"I don't know – I remember discussing how 'cool' our Head of House was," Remus countered from the passenger seat.

"Probably right after she had failed to expel you for almost killing another student," Snape retorted instantly. The change in atmosphere was palpable as the reference just made seemed to echo around the small space. For the briefest moment he saw the Head of Gryffindor's mask flicker, saw how deep the blow fell before she covered it once again.

"Take that back," Lupin ground out. "You know she tried bloody hard to get him expelled! And in all honesty he would have deserved it," he added quietly. There was an extended silence and Harry was on the verge of giving up expecting an answer when Snape spoke again.

"Perhaps," he began, "I should learn to curb my tongue on occasion." His quiet words seemed to have a profound affect. "Believe it or not, I have accepted that you were not to blame Lupin though… though I would be lying if I said that the thought of the wolf… well that it did not disturb me. I am also well aware of what Minerva's position was and although I do not agree with the Headmaster's choice I do understand a little of where he was coming from in allowing him to remain at the school." Minerva leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Harry turned in his seat and continued to stare out the window at the rolling country they were still passing through, trying to make scene of what it was he was feeling.

Over the past few months, since he had witnessed that scene in the pensive, he had been working so hard to deny what it was that seemed so unreal. The way his father and Sirius had acted… it was all well and good saying they were young and foolish but in all honesty they had been older than he was now and he certainly didn't think that that was an acceptable excuse. It wasn't that he didn't know what it was like to clash with someone in another house, but from what he had seen the young Snape was more than a little different from the current Slytherin prince. If their behaviour was reminiscent of anything it was of Malfoy picking on Neville. He had loved Sirius, and he still did really, but knowing that he had taken advantage of Remus's condition so totally without a thought to the consequences for the Werewolf … it changed things.

"I think," his head of House began, "that it would be fair to say that we've all done things we aren't proud of, made decisions that with hindsight we wouldn't have. But we can't change the past, or at least it certainly isn't sensible to. But perhaps it is time to move on."

"Lemon drop anyone?" Remus asked lightly resulting in a few smiles. "No – really, Albus left us a treat," he said, pulling out a paper bag from the glove compartment.

Though the countryside was beautiful, the atmosphere in the car greatly improved and, as Remus pointed out, it wasn't as if they were looking for the most direct route, they had little choice but to admit that they were lost. After almost three hours of driving around and conversations along the lines of, 'No – that must have been Wayword Lane and this is London Road,' they finally had to stop and ask directions in a local village. Much to his surprise they even managed to avoid a 'proper' argument and eventually found the motorway. Unfortunately it seemed that there had been an accident resulting in the closure of two out of the three lanes and the traffic was tailed back for 15 miles. This did nothing to improve anyone's mood, however this changed somewhat when a dozing Lupin could be heard quite distinctly singing along to the radio.

"For Merlin's sake," Snape sighed. "Lupin! Does this look like a karaoke bar to you?"

"Oh shh! I thought it was rather cute," Minerva said with a smile. Remus on the other hand just looked totally lost.

"Ooooh I like this song!" he said turning up the volume. "Come on – lets car dance!" With this he lifted his arms above his head and started wriggling in his seat. "_Does he love me? I want to know – how can I tell if he loves me so?…_" Harry tried unsuccessfully to hide his mirth as Snape took his hands off the steering wheel (they had come to a complete halt - again) and did an un-enthusiastic, deadpan, Night Fever move.

"Are you like this all the time Lupin – or does it have something to do with the phase of the moon?"

"You know – I never thought about it," Lupin said dropping his arms and stopping dancing.

"Personally I'd be more likely to blame the number of Lemon drops you've consumed in the last 3 hours," Minerva volunteered.

"That might explain the Headmaster," Harry mused out loud.

"Spectacular. Does that mean we're going to be stuck in this contraption with you acting like a sugar-high toddler for the foreseeable future?"

"Quite possibly," Remus replied before starting to dance again.

When exactly the sugar began to wear off Harry wasn't aware as he slipped into sleep not long after the dancing continued. This time when he woke up it was flashing blue lights rather than sunlight, shining in his eyes. He was more than a little surprised to discover it was dark already.

"Hello sleepy head," Minerva said softly.

"Hey," he replied running a hand through his hair. "How long was I asleep?"

"About three hours I'd guess," she supplied. "And yes we've only just passed the accident – don't ask." Her smile was strained and he couldn't help but notice the wince she tried to cover as she shifted slightly in her seat.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm? Oh yes, just sitting still for too long," she replied, throwing a smile his way. Harry might have thought about following this up but he honestly wasn't sure where to take it and in any case he (and everyone else) was distracted when his stomach growled loudly.

"Hear hear," Remus echoed. "It'll be past eight when we get anywhere likely to have food." They all sat quietly listening to some dramatisation on the radio that Harry suspected might be Dickens. Twenty minutes later they came across a signpost for another Service station.

"You know what?" Remus asked no-one in particular.

"No Lupin – I have absolutely no idea what is going on in that mind of yours."

"I was just going to say that I reckon we're going to have visited pretty much every Service Station in the UK by the time we get back to the castle."

"You exaggerate almost as well as you dance Lupin," Snape countered easily as he pulled into the carpark and picked a spot near the grass verge. Remus was up and out as soon as the car had stopped moving but Snape let the engine idle for a few seconds before turning the ignition off. Harry opened his door and fished out his jumper from the assorted 'stuff' that had been collecting in the back seat. He noticed Lupin watching what was happening on the other side of the car and couldn't help but follow his gaze. Minerva's door was opened but she didn't seem to be making any startling move to actually get out. Slowly she did emerge though, just as Snape was opening his door and Remus was ambling around in her direction. He got the feeling that they were all watching as she wrapped her right hand around the top of the open door. Harry's trepidation was fading a little as she stepped out but before she was upright she bit down on a gasp that was matched by a look of sheer agony. Snape shut his door quickly and had turned and had her underneath her arms before her legs seemed to crumple beneath her.

"Minerva!" Remus called out presumably on instinct, as he closed the distance between them. Harry hung back a little but moved round enough to get a better idea of what was going on. She had one foot on the ground but her other leg was still inside the foot well and he suspected that might be part of the problem.

"Hip?" Remus asked, delivering him an even bigger clue. He received a terse nod in reply. She was biting her lip and he was struck by just how vulnerable she looked in that instant.

"Just…just give me a minute," she ground out unconvincingly. Remus slipped his arms underneath hers from behind, talking to her quietly all the time as he clasped his hands in front of her ribcage. Now that she was more secure, leaning back against the other man, Severus could let go and understandably he began rubbing gently where his arms had been pressing into the top of the door.

"Bloody hard headed Gryffindor – why didn't you just say some…"

"Severus," she interrupted quietly. "Shut the hell up." This shocked Harry as it was so incredibly out of character and he could almost swear that he heard her voice crack as she spoke. Remus threw a hellish look in Severus direction before approaching a little more cautiously.

"Ok - are you comfortable where you are or do you want to move?"

"Ummm," she began. "I…I'm going to have to move."

"Well just take your time, if you want a hand…" She shook her head quite viciously.

"No, I think I need to be in control," she said. It seemed that she was mustering her strength, or courage, as she spoke. After a moment she shifted her weight slightly and lifted her leg up enough to rest her foot on the lower rim of the door. The effort this obviously took was mammoth though and even from the distance at which Harry now stood he could see the very last of the colour drain from her cheeks and her entire body begin to tremor visibly.

"Ok…" Remus said soothingly as he helped her pivot around so that she was facing the car, the front of her left shin still supported on the edge of the seat. "Woah," he continued, as her eyes seemed to drift out of focus and she reeled quite dramatically. "Come on, Minerva," he urged as it was quite plain that she was struggling to keep conscious.

"Minerva – if you loose consciousness we're going to have to get in touch with Poppy," said Severus from the back of the car. Harry hadn't really noticed that he'd moved but now it seemed that the potions master was digging around in the boot for something. Well whatever he might have done to irritate her earlier this seemed to have the desired effect. It wasn't instantaneous but she did seem to slowly be pulling herself back to the present. Resting her elbows on the roof she let her head fall forward into her hands, and seeing that she was balanced, Remus backed off a little but continued to rub her back gently.

"I'm sorry," she said thickly without looking up.

"Don't be stupid," both of the other men said at the same time, in such different fashions that it was almost funny. Severus had reappeared now carrying what looked to Harry to be and old-fashioned doctor's case. He opened the driver's door again and put the case down and once again started rummaging for something.

"When was the last time you took anything Minerva?" he asked pulling out a bottle that would have passed quite easily for a muggle medicine bottle.

"Ummm…before we set off," she replied.

The end of her sentence tailed off though as she closed her eyes, as if she were having to fight another wave of pain.

"Just bear with me," Severus said as he poured out a substantial measure of the potion into a plastic medicine cup. "There you go." He held it out to her but seeing how unsteady her hand was, probably wisely continued to hold on to it as she guided it towards her mouth. The mood was lightened somewhat when she grimaced at the taste.

"Don't you make anything that tastes decent Severus?" Remus asked with a twinkle.

"No – I get a perverse pleasure in seeing those ill and in pain on the verge of throwing up what's likely to help them," he replied deadpan before rolling his eyes.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that you had that bag stashed somewhere?" Minerva asked, her head once again leaning on her hands.

"Because you can guess at the kind of hard time I got from Poppy and Albus about you before we left," he replied whilst moving things around in said bag. Wanting to do something vaguely useful Harry re-opened his door and ferreted around until he found a half full bottle of Diet Lilt.

"To take the taste away?" he suggested as he held it out over the roof of the car. She took it with a steadier hand and offered him a smile in return.

"I'm beginning to feel ganged up on," Severus said quietly but obviously with the intention that they would all hear. They did – and he received only muffled sounds of amusement in return.

"How're you doing?" Remus asked moving in to lean on the side of the car next to her.

"Better actually," she replied, and as Harry meandered back around towards the group he saw that she was flexing her left leg. That said she still winced audibly when she took the next step and placed her foot on the ground.

"Easy there – I'm not a miracle worker," Severus said as Remus stepped in to give her a little support again. "Harry – if you go into the boot and pull back the carpet at the back you should find a pair of elbow crutches."

"How…?" Remus asked throwing him a perplexed look.

"Believe it or not there is in fact a reason why I'm head of _Slytherin_ Lupin."

"Yes, he's a sadistic bastard," Remus said quietly having turned his head to face Harry. Minerva chuckled slightly at this but Severus just scowled.

A/N – Know that again there are probably jokes in here that some of you wont get but one the less hope you get the general gist of it.

The comment about Albus having a good reason for keeping Sirius in school is one I think must be true. The way that I look at it is that if he had expelled him the chances are that he would have turned to the dark side.

Ummmm – oh yes – more to come soon which will probably fill in some of the details.

Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to Rachel (my beta) and please review.

Thanks again

Linds


	5. Chapter 5

PART 5

Having dug out the crutches, Harry carried them around and hovered, not certain whom he ought to hand them to. Remus held out a hand towards him though and took them from his grip. It took another few minutes for Minerva to slide her arms into the devices and she muttered one or two choice phrases as she did. After she had taken a few experimental steps she deigned that they had better go and get some food. It was more of a meander then a walk as the progress they made was slow and occasionally halting but Harry was impressed by the steely look of concentration on her face. About halfway across the car park, as she stopped and caught her breath, she glanced up at Lupin and said with the hint of a smile on her face.

"Remus – would you please go and find a bathroom before you have an accident."

"How…" The werewolf asked in an odd repetition of his earlier words.

"After nigh on 40 years as a teacher it's a talent you develop. Now would you…" She gestured for him to 'shoo' with her crutch. Harry watched as with a hint of colour in both his cheeks, the other man sped up considerably almost running the last few metres into the complex. Glancing at Snape he saw that the other man was fighting a smile. By the time they'd reached the front door Remus was standing there waiting for them looking a more than a little sheepish.

"Sorry about that," he said as they approached.

"Never mind that Lupin," Snape interrupted condescendingly. "However directions to the nearest facility would be greatly appreciated." This time it was his head of house who was smiling. Harry followed the Slytherin across the foyer and only just caught Remus saying something about Disabled toilets before they were engulfed in a mob of Japanese tourists.

The process of acquiring food and drinks was becoming more routine but Harry sensed something along the lines of urgency grow as they went through the process. He could see that Minerva was tiring quickly and he suspected that whatever it was that Snape had given her was leaving her somewhat dazed.

"I'll go get the car," Remus said as they finished at the checkout. Harry couldn't help but wonder how exactly this was going to work. It was fairly obvious that though whatever it was Severus had fed her had done an excellent job of numbing the pain, it would make no sense – at least to him – to sit her back in the position that seemed to have caused the problem in the first place.

"They had you lying on your right side in the hospital - right?" Snape asked quietly as they waited in a darkened corner. He had slipped an arm underneath hers again, wrapping it around her back and taking a significant portion of her weight, judging by the way she shifted.

"Yeah," she replied drowsily, the informal phrase seeming to highlight her altered state.

"Do you think that would be the most comfortable now?" he asked her, and Harry was once again surprised by Snape's gentle manner. As she replied in the affirmative, Remus arrived with the car, pulling it up close to the pavement where they stood.

"Right – I'll quite happily drive the next stint," he said as he came across to them. "But the question is how we're going to keep you relatively comfortable with the rest of us fitting in there somewhere too."

"It's quite alright – it's all in hand Remus," Severus reassured him, though Harry wasn't certain quite how it was all going to work. He watched, hanging back to try and give his professor at least a modicum of privacy, as the other two men did what they could to help. They got her sitting down in the back behind the passenger seat and as Remus helped her slide along a little Snape rounded the boot and disappeared into the other passenger's door. When all the movement ceased Remus backed up a little allowing Harry a glance at what this elusive solution had turned out to be. He was more than a little surprised at what he saw. It made sense that Minerva was lying curled up on her side, her back against the seatback. He supposed this meant that there was effectively no unnecessary pressure on the problem area but it also created something of a problem in and of itself due to the fact that she was now taking up the vast majority of the back seat. It wasn't until he clocked that Snape was no-where to be seen and crouched down to look straight into the car that he understood. Her head was resting on his knee where he was sitting on the far side.

"No need to look quite so appalled Mr Potter considering the alternative of having you in my seat – somehow I don't think our upstanding Head of Gryffindor would stand for that – even in this state. Now, why don't you get into the front and then we can eat?" he suggested, all the time his voice quieter than usual. Harry glanced at Minerva who seemed virtually asleep already and was struck as Snape gently placed a hand on her shoulder in an almost protective gesture before pulling the tartan travel rug down off the parcel shelf and tucking it in around her.

"Sure," he replied with a gentle smile before he backed up and shut the door carefully.

"What would you give for a camera right about now?" Remus whispered as he glanced into the rear-view mirror. It was pitch black outside, but even still when Harry turned in his seat he could see enough of the scene to understand what the other man meant. A picture of the Slytherin and Gryffindor Heads of House asleep curled up like they were at present would be worth its weight in gold – either in comic value or for blackmail purposes. Turning back round he saw a slightly concerned look on the driver's face as Minerva shifted a little in her sleep.

"You're worried about her?" he asked broaching the subject that had been on his mind for a couple of hours now. He wasn't quite sure what the exact cause of Remus' unease was but Harry had a feeling that his former professor wasn't the only one to be concerned.

"It's…" he began, indicating and checking his mirrors before changing lanes. "Things are usually more complex than they appear Harry." He wasn't at all sure what the other man was getting at. "Take those two for example," he continued, nodding his head in the direction of the back seat again. "Despite the impression they give and what they would like everyone to believe they probably have one of the most trusting friendships I've ever come across." Harry's confusion obviously showed on his face as he went on to try and clarify what he was saying. "Let's just say that there's always a tabby cat in the dungeons when he returns from his _meetings_ and from what I've seen on occasion there's no way in hell that he's in a fit state to look after himself on nights like that."

"Oh," was all he could say.

"Yeah, well you should have seen him when he contacted Grimauld Place to let us know what had happened with Umbridge – Molly was convinced he was going to do something stupid. Anyway, let's just say that Minerva's been a positive influence in my life for a long time, it's only natural that I should care about her." He didn't sound defensive when he said this but it did give Harry some insight. "You're right though - I do worry. I suppose it's only natural that we should all be concerned about each other in times like these but… well Minerva's an odd one. I think I once heard Severus describe her as having the world's most overdeveloped guilt complex. I went to go see her that night… after everything that had happened in the Ministry. I suppose I needed to be doing something and I knew everyone else was busy with the practicalities and I knew…well I know her well enough to have been able to predict the state she would get herself in when she heard about it all. I got up there to find her in the process of trying to get them to let her out – I mean she'd had three stunners direct to the chest and a fourth exceptionally strong one that had caught her hip shattering one side of her pelvis completely when she hit the ground only 24 hours previously. And yet all she could think of was the fact that her cubs had been hurt, that she'd let you all down. Let us all down." Harry supposed he could understand that, he had seen glimpses of that side of her through the virtually impenetrable armour she wore.

"It wasn't her fault – it was Umbridge's," he said quietly. Remus smiled whimsically at this.

"You and I and even Severus (despite what he says about it being down to her impulsive and temperamental Gryffindorness) might admit that, but convincing the most stubborn woman any of us are likely to meet of that would be a task I don't think any of us are up to. In any case Albus is better than most at handling her; if Poppy had been given her own say she wouldn't be with us now. She'd probably still be under her strict supervision but the Headmaster knows that sometimes it's better to give in just a little to prevent an outright rebellion."

"I suppose," Harry mused out loud.

"Lets just put it this way Harry – she'd threatened to all but abduct you if he hadn't agreed to you spending the summer somewhere other than Privet Drive." He didn't say anything in response to this. He didn't know what to say. Once again his mind was swirling with revelations or at least the same things that had troubled him for sometime, bathed in an entirely new light.

Yet again Harry woke up to raised voices. This time however, they were in much closer proximity.

"Lupin!" Snape's voice cut through the quiet atmosphere in the car. The other man was still sleep tinged and the exclamation seemed to be an odd mix of surprise and anger. Harry turned around to see what was happening in the back. To be honest he had half expected some kind of furore when Lupin had handed the wheel over to Minerva again. He suspected that they had thought he was as fast asleep as Snape had been when Remus had pulled into a lay-by for a breather. Minerva on the other hand had been wideawake and from what he could tell, with close to closed eyes, was much more comfortable.

"Pull. Over. Now." Severus ground out. It seemed the shock of waking up next to Remus rather than Minerva had worn off enough for him to take control again. "Minerva – you _have_ to pull over _now_."

"Really Severus…" she began, glancing back at him in the rear-view mirror. "I feel fine – if anything the driving is making sure I keep moving enough to stop me seizing up," she said quite plainly.

"Did it never strike any of your thick Gryffindor skulls that the reason you feel fine could have something to do with the fact that you still have a number of illegal compounds flowing through your system?" He was leaning forward on his seat, almost perching on the edge of the cushion and though he had thrown in a familiar insult it was the genuine concern in his voice that struck Harry. No-one said anything in response to this but he saw that Minerva's face had fallen at the thought of this to the point where he thought he might have seen her biting her the far side of her lip. They sat in silence for the next few minutes before Minerva calmly indicated and pulled off the motorway and into yet another service station car park. She had cut the engine and was out of the car within seconds of them having stopped and yet they remained in silence again for a moment before anyone spoke.

"I'm sorry – it was my fault," Remus said quietly. "I just wanted to make her feel like she was being useful. You know how she is… but that's not an excuse. I just wasn't thinking."

"If it makes you feel better Lupin," Snape answered without looking up from where he held his head in his hands. "I suspect that she was perfectly capable of driving it just happens that if the police had pulled us over for one reason or another she would have undoubtedly been arrested for drug-driving."

"Oh," Harry said without thinking. That really wouldn't have been a good thing.

"And it is not entirely your fault – perhaps I should have mentioned what it was that I gave her at some point," he continued.

Looking out of his window Harry could see his Head of House standing maybe twenty metres away with her back towards them. He could see the tension in her shoulders clearly and it looked as though she had her arms wrapped around herself but apart from that he couldn't make out an awful lot.

"Well –it's breakfast time," Snape said finally sitting upright again.

"I'll go grab Minerva then," Lupin said going to get out of the car.

"Just give her a minute would you?" Harry said quietly. He hadn't meant to sound so confrontational but there was something about the lone figure of her standing there on her own that struck him as being especially poignant. He supposed that it was what people liked to call natural instinct that urged him to go to her and for once he trusted it. Neither of the other two said anything as he undid his belt and opened the door calculatedly so he took this as tantamount to approval. It didn't take him long to cover the ground between them but he left a few yards between them when he spoke.

"Hey," he said quietly, not knowing exactly what he ought to be saying now that he was here. She started a little and turned around to glance at him and as she did he couldn't help but notice the sheen of barely restrained tears in her eyes. He had known from the instant her face had fallen that this was about so much more than driving. That it was about being able to contribute something to the cause without letting someone down, letting everyone down. He supposed he knew at least where she was coming from.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling herself up and offering a somewhat weak smile. "We should probably do something about feeding you shouldn't we?" Before Harry had really thought it through he had acted and opening his arms he had stepped forward and was giving her a somewhat awkward hug. He was even more surprised when her felt her arms wrap around his back and somewhere deep in his subconscious he noted that she really wasn't very much taller than him; little enough that Ron would certainly tower over her. He supposed that that was just another stunning example of things not being how they seem. It was certainly a maternal feeling that washed over him as they stood like that and though perhaps not quite so open with it as Mrs Weasley, he could tell she cared and that was what made all the difference. His mind was so preoccupied with other things that he didn't hear the other two approach and jumped in his own skin when Remus spoke.

"I don't know about you Severus but I'm feeling kind of left out – care to share a hug of our own?"

"Just because I admitted that I may not hate you quite as much as most people seem to believe Lupin does not mean that I have any inclination to become your _snuggle bunn__y_." Harry could see the sneer on the other man's face as clear as the light of day in his mind's eye and obviously he wasn't the only one as Minerva's shoulders started to shake with mirth as much as his own.

A/N: Thanks again to Rachel – please keep reviewing I really do appreciate it

Linds


	6. Chapter 6

PART 6

The timing of the other two's arrival and their manner with each other was enough to lighten the mood considerably. Harry backed up but made a conscious effort to not look away and offered her a smile. She returned it with much more fervour than she had done previously and surreptitiously pulled her sleeves down and wiped her eyes a little.

"Right - food," said Remus decisively.

"Yes indeed – you need to eat something before I can give you anything else," Severus added to which she scowled in reply. However she didn't object and Harry could see that now she was upright she was favouring her uninjured leg again. "Here you go," he added, producing the crutches from behind his back.

"You're too kind," she said slipping them on.

"Food?" Harry said again. He hated to admit it but he was starving now that he thought about it.

"Ok – how about we go to the supermarket then?" Minerva asked, her voice filled with mirth. "That way we can stock up on things to stop you lot from starving between pit stops." In yet another sterling example of the oddness of their current predicament Harry found himself greatly amused by how intrigued his teachers were over some of the things you could buy in the supermarket. Remus spent a good ten minutes in the chocolate and sweet section while after acquiring pastries and fruit, bread and crisps along with plenty of drinks Minerva seemed to come across something that she was more than pleased with. He didn't see what exactly it was until they were back at the car.

"As an apology for snapping at you yesterday," she said, leaning forward from the back seat to hand Severus a box. Harry leaned forward to, eager to see what it was that she'd bought him. He snorted into his hand when he realised what it was; a cake baking kit designed to look like a chemistry set. As she shifted back though she winced audibly and was met with stern looks from both the men in the front seat.

"I'm eating, I'm eating…" she said, pulling off the top of a stick of French bread.

When they had all eaten what was probably more than an elegant sufficiency, brushed as many crumbs off the seats as they could, and the Potions master had produced another, much smaller, at Minerva's own insistence, dose of his concoction they all settled back down into their seats to set off once more. Just as they were pulling out of the car park Harry noticed Minerva lean down as if to pick something off the floor. He was just going to offer to get it for her when all of a sudden she was replaced by the familiar black cat. He watched, slightly bemused as the cat leaned back on its haunches stretching its front legs out as it yawned and then turned in a circle before settling itself down. Then something dawned in him.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be doing magic!" he said, trying to keep the edge of panic out of his voice. Severus turned around to look at them and Remus glanced back into the rear view mirror.

"Oh – that won't be a problem," the driver supplied.

"The animagus transformation is like wand-less magic – it wouldn't even cause a blip on anyone's sensor," Severus continued.

"However – I really don't think this is a great idea. If I have to break suddenly Minerva's going to end up sailing over your seat and through the front window Severus."

"Good point," Harry agreed, and glanced over to the cat who had stood up on the seat again and seemed to be making a point of riding the cars movement with ease.

"How about you settled down in the foot well?" the Slytherin suggested. She didn't seem best pleased at the idea but as Harry had surmised he suspected she had to – the alternative was to sit on one of their knees and be held on to just in case. He watched with amusement as she nudged an assortment of jumpers off the back seat and onto the ground before jumping down after them and snuggling up in her new nest. Harry was convinced that none of his class mates would ever believe him if he tried to explain everything that had happened over the last few days.

"How about a pop quiz then Mr Potter?" Harry's attention, which had been happily distracted by the scenery, and the look on Hermione and Ron's faces when they next met and he shared at least some of what he'd learned, was drawn back to the present with a nasty bang.

"What?" he asked before his brain processed what he'd just heard. "Eh – do I actually have a choice in the matter?" he asked when finally his mouth caught up with him. Severus chuckled at this.

"What do you think Lupin?"

"I don't know. Maybe…" He sounded entirely serious for about the first five seconds before collapsing into laughter. "You should see the look on your face Harry!"

"Believe it or not Potter I had no intention of being un-necessarily depressed by your lack of knowledge," Snape pointed out lightly.

"You make it sound like I know nothing," Harry objected. "I bet there are some things I know more about than you." He wasn't sure whether he ought to have regretted being so impetuous once he had issued what was all but a challenge. Remus obviously spotted the upcoming confrontation though as he stepped in and re-directed their attention.

"How about for the sake of us all getting back in one piece we avoid that kind of competition? In any case I think the next instalment of that drama we were listening to yesterday should be on this morning."

A few hours later, a severe weather warning for the North East coast interrupted the drama.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, looking around the road for a sign, having completely lost his bearings some time ago.

"Just about to hit Newcastle," Remus replied. Harry's geography wasn't stunning but he knew well enough that Newcastle was definitely east and fairly close to the Scottish border so was likely to be counted in the 'North East'.

"Spectacular," Severus drawled. "If I'm going to be taking over driving again it might be an idea to it relatively soon," he added.

"Oooh look – a McDonalds. We haven't done that yet have we?" Remus suggested, taking a hand off the wheel to gesture towards a big sign indicating the direction of the fast-food joint.

"Joy to the World," came the sarcastic reply. Unconsciously Harry found himself humming the tune of the well known hymn until he was unceremoniously alerted to his slip by being hit square in the chest with an empty diet coke bottle. Looking up he was just in time to catch Snape turning back around to look forwards.

"I think someone's caffeine levels have slipped bellow the prescribed measures for human interaction." Having said that, Remus made a big show of ordering two large coffees first when they got to the desk.

"Make that three please," Minerva added, coming up behind them after visiting the bathroom. "Unless you want one?" she added. Harry made a face, which seemed to amuse her.

"I'll have a coke thanks," he said trying not to look at the young girl serving behind the counter.

Once they were all fed, watered and had changed their clothes they literally ran across the car park, the dark clouds above them and rising wind heralding the approach of that 'severe weather'. Luckily for them, they were all inside the car and had pulled back out onto the motorway before the heavens opened. Opened and poured down the equivalent of a small ocean on them. All the traffic slowed down to a crawl and despite the windscreen wipers working at ten to the dozen, the visibility level was ridiculously low. There was a quiet tension in the car, Severus was hunched over the wheel and snapped at Minerva when she propped up her feet against the dashboard.

"Do you want to crush your pelvis, again, if we run into the back of somebody, or somebody runs into the back of us?" She didn't reply to this but took her feet down. Over the next three hours they seemed to crawl their way into Scotland but despite crossing the border into a new country the weather was as bad as ever, and it was sheer luck it seemed that the rain seemed to have eased up a little when the engine began to splutter pathetically and smoke began to rise from beneath the bonnet. Remus who was asleep in the back next to Harry began to stir as Snape coaxed the car over onto the hard shoulder before it died entirely.

"Anybody would think we were cursed," Minerva sighed as they sat there in what seemed now just to be a pervasive mist, but one that surrounded them so densely that the lanes of traffic next to them were identifiable only by the blurred lights that moved past them at some great speed.

"One might suggest that at least one of us is," Severus replied coolly, though he couldn't quite decipher which of them he was referring to…

"We need to get out of the car," Remus said as Severus made ready to get out and check the engine. "All of us. It isn't safe to sit inside a car on the hard shoulder – especially not in weather like this."

"Harry – get out our side, away from the traffic," Minerva said, with a hint of the teacher about her. He did as she _suggested_ and pulled on his jumper as he made his way clumsily across the seat.

"Dammit it's cold – I wish I'd thought to bring a jacket with me," Remus said as he hopped from one foot to another. But his cussing was nothing in comparison to Severus's as he slammed the bonnet back down.

"I have no bloody idea what the matter with it is – but it's beyond my expertise," he said once he had all but stomped over to them.

"Well we can give it a few minutes and then try again. If that doesn't work then I guess we'll just have to call the AA."

"Harry – have you got a coat with you?" Minerva asked, wrapping her cardigan tighter around herself and sticking her hands under her arms.

"Ummm – I have a cloak," he told her, moving closer while Remus and Severus talked 'car stuff'.

"Not quite what I was aiming for," she said, seemingly more to herself than to him. "Get it out and I'll see what I can do," she said shaking off her distraction. He opened the boot and leant into the shelter that it afforded him from the wind, opened his trunk and ferreted around for his winter cloak. Pulling it out he handed it over and watched with interest as she turned it over in her hands, unfolding it, seeming to examine it before closing her eyes. Harry was about to ask what she was doing till he noticed abruptly that the material was shifting in her still hands After a few moments she opened them again and blinked as if she was trying to wake up and handed it back to him.

"Try that," he said as he took it and realised what it was she had been doing. What had, up until a few moments ago been his school cloak, was now a thick, waterproof muggle coat. He pulled it on and revelled in the immediate warmth and protection it afforded him.

"Thank you," he said.

"Hood up," she said, pulling it up for him, nullifying her spoken request. "Now, think we can find a couple of spare jumpers for those two?" she asked, heading into the boot and rummaging around the three much smaller bags that they had brought with their own changes of clothes. She did and Harry was glad to hold the spares while she used wandless magic to transfigure them into coats for Remus and Severus. As he did he watched her though and it became plain just how much it was taking out of her.

"No luck," Remus said as he walked towards them. "Severus is calling the recovery service." Harry handed him one of the jackets as the Deputy Headmistress worked her magic on one of her own cardigans. "Where… oh no. Minerva you didn't?" he asked looking at where she was standing, now leaning against the car. Harry watched as she offered him a tired smile as her only reply. Snape joined the group and quickly cottoned on but before he could say anything, Minerva spoke.

"I'm fine. And now we won't all catch pneumonia," she said that as if it was the end of the discussion, handing the Slytherin his jacket. But even Harry could see that the last transformation had left her looking as if a strong wind would blow her over. Severus stepped forward to take it and shrugged it on before helping her with her own.

"Harry – there are a couple of blankets in the back seat of the car," Remus began.

"I'll grab them," he offered, already pulling open the door to the car as the other two men and his Head of House started to make their way up the embankment and away from the disturbingly fast traffic.

A/N: Only one or two chapters left

Lol

Thanks again to Rachel

Please let me know what you think

Linds

Xxx

PS – the AA the Automotive Association the UK's biggest breakdown service.


	7. Chapter 7

PART 7

A/N: Well unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, this is the final chapter of this fic. Sorry guys – it just worked better as one section. IT is however quite long if that makes you feel better…

In any case Enjoy!

xLx

Severus took the rug with the plastic underlay and put it on the ground before they all hunkered down, close together. Harry noted that Remus and the Slytherin planted themselves very carefully on either side of Minerva who now simply looked like she could sleep for a decade. He wasn't certain where to sit himself but the logical part of his mind established from which direction the wind was coming from then did his best to shield his professor from it. They sat in silence for a few moments before Lupin struck up a conversation with him about some inane topic or other and they whiled away the minutes like that, but when the AA van pulled up Harry had never felt so relieved. Severus stood and went to speak to the technician and he moved down to take his place on the rug. It didn't take more than a few minutes for it to become obvious that the news wasn't good. Coming back up the hill, Severus crouched down in front of them.

"It's dead," he proclaimed. "But the gentleman says that he can drop us off at the nearest train station and we can move on from there."

"Well we could probably get a train to Edinburgh," Remus said, obviously racking his mind. "From there we'd have to cross the country though and go through Glasgow to get to Oban. That's as far north as we'd get but we could talk to Albus before then and arrange something for the last leg."

Compared to the palaver of the last few days this plan didn't seem all that ridiculous, but in true fashion it seemed that nothing was going to be easy. They managed to get to Edinburgh all right, and even the trip through to Glasgow was no great problem but that was where they started to come across delays.

"There's not a train that goes that far until eight o'clock," he told them, having searched the timetable boards. He could tell that Severus' patience was wearing thin and that this five-hour delay wasn't going to help matters much. Remus was sat on the bench with Minerva's head resting on her shoulder, and he shifted slightly to check the time.

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait then," he said.

"How long will the journey be?" she asked shifting and sitting up but still looking like she was totally exhausted.

"Three hours," he replied,

"Just a thought," she said after a moment, "but why don't we catch the next train to somewhere on the East coast line? Then we could head for Inverness and get the Inverness to Thurso train tonight. The station's only a couple of hours from the castle, I'm sure someone could pick us up from there." Remus headed back to the timetable and map display.

"We'd have to get to Leuchars for four-thirty and even then it's a hell of a lot of changing lines, but that would probably meet with Alastor's approval." He checked his watch and then the timetable again. "There's a train leaving here at three that ought to get us off on our way that gives us a half hour. So it's Glasgow to Leuchars, change at Dundee change at Perth change at Inverness arriving at Thurso at 11.45 tonight. Agreed?" Harry watched as Severus gave a quick nod. "Right then I'll go get the tickets then," said the werewolf trying to look cheery. As he turned and left Minerva went to get up as well until Snape put his hand on her shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked pointedly.

"The bathroom," she replied shortly, reaching for the crutches, and with that she turned and set off, rather slowly and obviously limping. All three of them watched her progress in measured silence.

"I think we should send her straight back to the castle. There's a floo station somewhere in this bloody town," Severus said after a moment.

"Do you genuinely think she'd agree to that?" Remus asked.

"I didn't say that," the other man snapped. "Damn." He ran a hand through his hair. "Bloody woman. Right, stay with the bags Potter. I'd better try and get in touch with the Headmaster." The two men stalked off in the same direction though, heads close and obviously in deep discussion. He could already tell them now, what the eventual outcome of the debate would be; after all, it would appear not even Albus Dumbledore could tell the Head of Gryffindor what she ought to be doing.

Harry sat there, one eye on his trunk and the compact holdalls that they had rescued from the boot of the car, and the other watching the people scurrying back and forth around him. The two men arrived back, with coffee, chocolate and tickets a few minutes before Minerva came back into view. Remus had bought a newspaper and settled down to peruse the muggle news, while Severus sat scowling and obviously watching out for the return of his colleague. Harry spotted her first, but only by a second or two and once again Snape had jumped up and was approaching her before he could think to move. The fact that she didn't protest when he slipped an arm around her waist told him more than anything else though.

"Albus says he'll send someone with a carriage," Severus told them as Minerva sat down, slowly flexing her leg.

"As long as it's not Hagrid with the thestrals," Remus said with a smile. "We're leaving from platform 3 in about fifteen minutes," he continued. "Maybe we should head over there to wait?" The suggestion was slightly tentative and it was obvious that he was concerned that Minerva wasn't up to the trip yet.

"Sounds sensible." She replied though and hoisted herself up before they were even on their feet, and waited as they collected up their belongings. The train was on time, which seemed to be much to Severus surprise, considering how much he had been grumbling about _the damn things_ for the last quarter of an hour. They found seats around a table and settled down for the first leg of their trip. The wind had picked up again and the train rocked gently as they travelled across its path. Within half an hour it became fairly obvious what the primary reason for the Slytherin's dislike of this mode of transport was.

"Are you feeling alright?" Lupin asked, looking up at the other man from where he sat next to Minerva, newspaper spread out on his lap. Harry looked up from his section of the paper to see that, if anything, Snape looked distinctly green. He only grunted in response before taking another sip from his bottle of water, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes. Remus grimaced in sympathy at Harry before turning to check on the woman sitting next to him, who had at last, it seemed, fallen asleep.

Severus seemed to manage to calm his rebellious stomach for almost half an hour before he suddenly stood and swept, even without the aid of his robes, down the aisle towards the closest bathroom. His abrupt departure seemed to wake Minerva as she stirred and looked around her.

"Where...?" she asked, obviously alluding to the Potions Master.

"It would seem that Severus and travelling by train are not a good mixture," Remus said with half a smile.

"Oh," she said, looking up the aisle obviously waiting for his arrival back, the mutual concern that they both showed for each other surprising Harry once again. In the end it was almost half an hour later when the other man returned and when he did he looked the worse for wear. He sat down silently, pushing some of his hair, which had escaped its ribbon, out of his face.

"Mint?" Minerva asked having dug the packet out of her pocket. He accepted silently.

"The rest of the journey should be less… well… rocky," Remus said sounding hopeful. "We'll be travelling into the wind," he added by way of explanation.

"Always assuming that the wind doesn't change direction," Snape pointed out acerbically, "Which considering our fortune in regard this trip so far seems highly unlikely." They had to smile at this. "None the less, I suspect that I'll survive."

As it turned out, he was correct, in that the weather shifted so that their trains seemed perpetually to rock from one side to the other for the entire duration of the trip. What between Severus looking distinctly nauseous, and Minerva hopping along, barely putting any weight on her injured hip at all, and with Harry and Remus laden down with all the baggage, they must have made quite a sight moving from one platform to the next. However, they made every one of their connections by some miracle and not once did Harry notice anything out of the ordinary enough not to be Muggle.

"It's odd," he said to Remus when they had finally all settled onto their last train. "I never really thought about us being spotted or hunted down when we were in the car, but here…"

"If it makes you feel better, we're on the look out too," Minerva said, shifting and grimacing in her seat.

"Are you…?" Lupin asked.

"Sore, stiff and tired," she replied with a smile, "but to quote someone it won't kill me." It seemed like the Head of Slytherin had finally been so worn out that he seemed to have gone out like a light when he had sat down this time. Hopefully he'd manage to stay that way when the train began to move again. Harry found that thought hard to compute, but genuinely felt sorry for the man, who obviously felt absolutely horrific. Remus fell asleep next, but Harry found that having napped on and off throughout the day he really wasn't drowsy. He watched his own Head of House from underneath lowered lids as she stood and used the backs of the seats to make her way up and down the otherwise deserted compartment. It seemed that she was trying to walk out some of the stiffness, which didn't seem like a bad plan until the train lurched and she stumbled. He couldn't see clearly even when he opened his eyes fully, but it seemed that she ended up falling onto an empty seat. Harry quelled his instant urge to jump up and make sure was ok, but watched carefully as she righted herself, testing each of her appendages in turn. Having obviously decided that she hadn't done any extreme damage she propped herself up and undid her hair, which seemed to mostly have escaped her braid in any case.

"You know what I'd kill for right about now?" she asked looking towards him and giving him a bit of a fright. "A nice cup of tea and ginger newt," she said with a smile. "It's the simple things." He couldn't help but return her smile at this. "I won't tell if you don't?" she said casually as she made her way back towards him, to all intents and purposes hopping.

"As long as you grant me diplomatic immunity from them," he said with a grin, jerking his thumb at the two sleeping men.

"I'll do better than that," she began sliding down into the seat. "I shall offer you afternoon tea, with ginger newts, any time you feel like it all summer." Harry was strangely touched by this offer: after all, it was Remus who was supposed to be looking after him and he was certain that the Deputy Headmistress had better things to do in the holidays than entertain him.

It was still raining and the wind was still howling when, at ten to twelve they finally drew in at the end of the line. Remus and Harry had perfected the art of loading themselves up with the bags, but left Minerva to usher the still groggy Slytherin out and into the open air.

"Over here," came a gruff but instantly identifiable voice from the shadows at the back of the platform.

"Is that you Alastor?" the Werewolf asked, moving away from the two other passengers who had disembarked.

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't tell you otherwise now would I lad?" he said, stepping just into view and pulling that ridiculous hat down over his magical eye. "Got the carriage out the front."

"The coaches that take us from the train station up to the school at the start of term?" Harry asked.

"Nope, this one has wheels and horses," Moody said. "Sorry we couldn't get a hold of another car, though Merlin knows what you lot did with the last one." They all but threw the cases into the closed carriage; Harry for one was past caring what happened to his trunk. It was a bit of a climb in but he managed it with a new hop in his step knowing that they were almost home. Minerva, seemed equally keen just to get on the way again and having handed Remus her crutches proceeded to take his hand to help her in. The two fine horses shifted a little in their fastenings and they rolled back and forward a little. Even from this little action it was plain to see that this ride was unlikely to be any smoother and the train journey, the light from up by the driving bench cast enough light on Severus' face outside to show his disinclination to join them.

"Get on with it Snape," the former auror snapped, and once more Harry felt a twinge of sympathy for the other man when he failed to come up with a typically acerbic retort. He couldn't help but feel that Moody was infringing on them, and despite not having any particularly strong opinions on the man, Harry found himself looking forward to him shutting the door and taking the reigns.

The gentle rocking of the carriage had almost lulled him to sleep when somebody sneezed loudly.

"Remus?" Minerva asked from the opposite bench.

"Damn horses," he muttered, searching through his pockets, presumably for a handkerchief. He sneezed again, several times all the while searching through his pockets. There wasn't much light but on an impulse, Harry reached up to see if there was a lantern somewhere above them. He found one, and by some fluke there was both a candle and matches were tucked inside so he lit it, after only a few attempts, and shut the glass box that surrounded it with a satisfying click.

"Thanks," Remus said thickly, finding what he was looking for and blowing his nose. Harry noted that his eyes were red-rimmed and watering profusely.

"You're allergic?" Harry asked and the other man nodded. Looking across, he saw Snape had lent down and put his head between his knees and Minerva placed a reassuring hand on his back.

"Won't be much longer," she said quietly. It might not have been much longer technically but that hour and a half seemed to drag on for a lifetime. If he hadn't been so tired and, on a certain level, concerned for the two men, he might have found it funny, he was sure that Ron would have, but instead he felt nothing more than anxious to set foot on terra firma once more.

When they did finally pull up outside the grand steps leading to the familiar oak doors of the school, they opened, light spilling forth onto the gravel path. Silhouettes framed in the doorway quickly descended the steps, the Headmaster and the School Nurse if Harry wasn't mistaken, followed by someone he thought might well be Professor Sprout.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Dumbledore said, stepping forward to help them down as Moody held the horses fast.

"Good grief!" Madam Pomfrey said looking at them all in turn. "What a state you're all in." Harry turned to look at his three guardians for the last few days and had to admit that he could see her point. Minerva, who would once again be Professor McGonagall now he supposed, on crutches, pain and exhaustion etched on her features. Snape looked like death still, leaning against Remus whose eyes and nose continued to run excessively.

"Well it looks like you definitely came out of all of this the best doesn't it?" Dumbledore said, and there was hesitation in his eyes. Harry smiled softly in return; he knew that it would be a while before he felt that he could realistically trust the older man as he once had but he was willing to accept that he might have been a fraction quick to judge him.

"No come on," the mediwitch said, obviously trying to usher all four of them towards the hospital wing at the same time. Harry hung back, safe in the knowledge that he was definitely not going to be top of her to do list. He watched as Dumbledore placed a hand on his deputy's back, trying not to laugh when she shrugged him off and obviously bit his head off for some comment or another he made, and couldn't help but chuckle at the attempt the Potion Master made at scowling when Pomfrey started fussing and trying to take his temperature.

"Come on Mr Potter," Professor Sprout said from behind him. "I think you look well enough if all done in; how about I show you up to your room?" He accepted and was more than glad to find his trunk, and Hedwig, waiting for him when he arrived. Feeling that he ought to at least make an attempt at washing up, he stepped into the shower before stepping into his pyjamas. As he lay staring at the unfamiliar canopy above him, his thoughts returned to how strange the last three days seemed when looked at in relation to the rest of his life since he began at Hogwarts. He wasn't certain that he'd ever be able to come to terms with everything that he'd seen and heard over the last few days, be able to equate what he'd learned with the people he had thought he'd known, at least as well as he had wanted to. Whatever happened though, he knew it had been an enlightening experience that he would never, ever be able to forget and one that he wouldn't have missed for all the world

A/N: Much thanks to Rachel as always

Hope you all enjoyed this

As always PLEASE review **grin**

Thanks for reading

Linds

xxx


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